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Latest News
  • [ December 4, 2025 ] Portrait of a Centenary-Old Favela of Stilt Houses: Belém’s Vila da Barca Resists, Organizes and Fights for Sanitation and Adequate Housing #HousingWatch
  • [ November 30, 2025 ] The Story of Dona Pascoalina, Midwife and Healer of Morro do Borel by Community Contributors
  • [ November 15, 2025 ] ‘There’s No Such Thing as Normal After a Massacre’: One Week After Police Mega-Operation Kills 121 People, Residents From Complexos do Alemão and Penha Speak Out #UPPWatch
  • [ November 13, 2025 ] ‘Human Beings Forget That They Are Nature’: Favelas Teach the Path to the Future at the 2nd Favela Sustainability Festival Civil Society
  • [ November 12, 2025 ] Food Sovereignty and Culinary Heritage Connect with Fight for Climate Justice at the 2nd Sustainable Favela Festival Civil Society
HomeEstácio

Estácio

*Highlight

Carnival of Literature! Spaces of Black Resistance, Rio de Janeiro’s Samba Schools Host Literary Festivals that Boost Racial Literacy

By Carol Marinho • Translation by Staff • February 9, 2024

Clique aqui para Português February 9, 2024—Afro-Indigenous Brazilian literature is a growing source of inspiration for samba schools as they organize Rio de Janeiro’s carnival parades. During the 2024 carnival, which starts today, a number […]

*Highlight

The Power of Performing Arts in Brazil’s Racial Resistance: Grupo Código’s Realistic and Fictional Theater in Greater Rio de Janeiro

By Fabio Leon • Translation by Annie Swank • December 21, 2021

Clique aqui para Português This article is the latest contribution to our year-long reporting project, “Rooting Anti-Racism in the Favelas: Deconstructing Social Narratives About Racism in Rio de Janeiro.” Follow our Rooting Anti-Racism in the Favelas […]

Community vegetable garden in Campo Grande. Photo: Reproduction Living Bay Movement.
Policies

Environmentalists Denounce Gutting of Rio de Janeiro Community Gardens

By Jaqueline Suarez • Translation by Fred Hanson • June 1, 2021

Clique aqui para Português Cuts in technical support, delayed stipends, and lack of supplies: these are some of the complaints made by workers of the Hortas Cariocas program, a community gardening program coordinated by Rio […]

Original artwork by Rodrigo Binarts
*Highlight

Voices from Niterói’s Palmeira Favela Describe Exorbitant Cost of Electricity Amid the Pandemic

By Mayara Pereira • Translation by Constance Malleret • May 20, 2021

Clique aqui para Português This article is part of a series on energy justice and efficiency in Rio’s favelas. It is also part of a series created in partnership with the Center for Critical Studies […]

#CoronavirusWatch

Amid Pandemic, Police Kill 13 in Alemão, Conduct Operations in Favelas Across Rio

By Edmund Ruge, Tatiana Lima • May 17, 2020

Clique aqui para Português May 15, Complexo do Alemão, Rio de Janeiro. Residents manually carried the five corpses, down the alleyways to the entrance of the favela of Nova Brasilia. Laid out on cardboard and […]

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RioOnWatch’s anti-racist reporting series won silver in the 2022 inaugural The Anthem Awards, in the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion category among Best Local Awareness Programs.
A Project of

About

In May 2010, Catalytic Communities launched what was originally Rio Olympics Neighborhood Watch (hence RioOnWatch), a program to bring visibility to favela community voices in the lead-up to the 2016 Rio Olympics. This news site, RioOnWatch.org, grew into a much-needed and unique reference featuring favela perspectives on the urban transformation of Rio. With diverse and deeply interlinked articles by a mix of community reporters, resident opinions, solidarity reporters, international observers, and academic researchers, we work to engender a more accurate picture of favelas, their contributions to the city, and the potential of favela-led community development in Rio and around the world.

Contact & Support

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10 Years! Check Out Our Story:

Awards

Special Thanks

Fundação Heinrich Böll Brasil
World Habitat
Fideicomiso de la Tierra Caño Martín Peña
Pastoral de Favelas
Center for CLT Innovation
Global Land Alliance
Ecocity Builders
Mansueto Institute for Urban Innovation
SDSU Behner Stiefel Center
The Rio Times
Forum Grita Baixada
Beto Paixão Graphic Design
Architecture Museum of Vienna
Yale School of Architecture

  • Home
    • Highlighted Stories
    • Understanding Rio
    • Reference Articles
  • Communities
    • Central
    • South Zone
    • North Zone
    • West Zone
    • Greater Rio
  • Policies
    • Public Security
    • Housing
    • Transport
    • Education
    • Health
    • Sanitation
  • Violations
    • Human Rights
    • Housing Rights
    • Police Violence
    • Government Neglect
  • Organizing
    • Community Organizing
    • Community Solution
    • Resistance
    • Sustainability
    • Participation
    • Protest
    • Culture
    • Responsible Tourism
  • Content Map
    • by Community Contributors
    • by Int’l Observers
    • Series
      • Anti-Racist Series
      • Energy Justice Series
    • Event Reports
    • Video Stories
    • Photo-Essays
    • Interviews/Profiles
    • Research & Analysis
    • Reviews
    • Listicles
    • Opinion
    • Reference
    • Podcasts
    • Translated Articles
  • About
    • Timeline
    • Our Reporting Policy
    • License
    • Feedback
  • For Journos
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